Butterflies accumulate enough static electricity to attract pollen

 Butterflies accumulate enough static electricity to attract pollen 

static electricity 

Butterflies and moths collect so much static electricity in flight, that pollen grains from flowers can be pulled by static electricity across air gaps of several millimetres or centimetres. 

this likely increases their efficiency and effectiveness as pollinators.

TheUniversity of Bristolteam 

amount of static electricity carried by butterflies and moths varies between different species and that these variations correlate with differences in their 

• ecology, 
• whether they visit flowers, 
•  tropical environment,
•  fly during the day or night. 

reason is friction with the air  

That many animal species accumulate static electricity as they fly most likely through friction with the air is already known. What was not known is whether butterflies, moths, and other pollinators too accumulate sufficient static electricity, and if the accumulated static electricity can indeed attract pollen.

Testing process

To test this, the researchers studied 269 butterflies and moths across 11 different species, native to five different continents and inhabiting multiple different ecological niches.

source the hindu